MK5/MK10 body cleaning brush?

[redacted]

What about the filter itself? Is it re-usable after soaking & cleaning?

I have seen many recommendations against their reuse but I often clean them if they look to be in good shape and reuse them with no problems so far. I think the risk is if they are contaminated and you loosen up that contamination and reduce the particle size, it coulod work its way through the filter and cause a problem. If I can see green. whit, or brown I opt for replacement. But if it is still shiny or even dull SS, I clean and reuse along with the star washer if it is still in one piece.

 

[HenrikBP]

I think the major difference between the cheaper and the more expensive ones is the "duty cycle". Gears heat up when in use, and the cheaper ones are not specified/designed to dissipate all the heat on a continous basis.

Thanks Zung; that's good information to keep in mind.

A quick and dirty power test is to use some very thin aluminum foil. Put a sheet into the cleaner and power it up. Pull the sheet out every minute and see if holes are being made in it.

Again, thanks Pete. That's a great way to "calibrate" cleaning, and would work well for testing out varying cleaning solutions and solution strength as well. And well worth the time before "cleaning" the finish off a nice reg

I have a real cheap one (free - my favorite)

Free is good I've been looking at a Harbor Freight cheapo that's big enough to take the cans of my Aqua Master. But that may end up being too big in general, and the cans are easy enough to clean by just soaking.

Thanks all,

Henrik

 

[Zung]

I did a little experiment with one of these: 750ml, 50W@220V, on sale for under 30 bucks, and here's what gives:

Lower part: a used air filter after 2 cycles of 8', with a little rest in between
Upper part: a piece of kitchen variety aluminum foil after 8'

Thanks again awap and Gilldiver!

 

[Couv]

Here is some good nerd info I just ran across re: ultrasonic cleaning.
http://www.bluewaveinc.com/reprint.htm

c

 

[HenrikBP]

Just a follow-up;

I finished cleaning the MK10 today. I cut a small piece of Scotchbrite (non-scratch) off a pad and slipped it into the body. I used the Scubatools HP o-ring insertion to "back up" and prevent the pad from slipping past the o-ring groove. I then used a chop stick ... ... to spin the pad in the groove while trying to put a bit of pressure outward into the groove.

I have of course no way to check whether the groove is now clean or even cleaner than before.

After the Simple Clean soaking and toothbrushing the reg is so clean that I don't think I'm going to need to give it a Salt-X or water/vinegar bath. Nice and shiny

Thanks everyone for your help and excellent feedback.

Now on to the rebuild. I would have gotten it done today, but I built the base for a manometer instead

Henrik

 

[Couv]

Good job,

You should be able to feel any debris inside the o-ring groove with your brass nose pick.

c

 

[Zung]

Just a follow-up;

... I cut a small piece of Scotchbrite (non-scratch) off a pad and slipped it into the body....

Henrik,

Can you elaborate on "non-scratch"?
I thought Scotchbrite is the green stuff that's scratchy; sometimes it's bonded to a regular sponge that's yellow.
I've got this MK 20 that's really dirty and I'm tempted to use the green Scotchbrite to do the inside, in particular where the piston crown rides, but I'm not sure if it would scratch the surface or not.

 

[redacted]

Henrik,

Can you elaborate on "non-scratch"?
I thought Scotchbrite is the green stuff that's scratchy; sometimes it's bonded to a regular sponge that's yellow.
I've got this MK 20 that's really dirty and I'm tempted to use the green Scotchbrite to do the inside, in particular where the piston crown rides, but I'm not sure if it would scratch the surface or not.

I have picked up some older Mk5s that had corrosion and even a little pitting in the ambient chamber where the piston o-ring seats. I really thought the ambient chamber was going to have to be replaced. But I used Brasso (a brass polish) on my finger and rubbed (5 minutes) the spots clean and smooth. Worked fine.

 

[Zung]

It's crud I'm fighting, some yummy mixture of grease, salt and dirt. It comes off rather easily after a week's soaking; I just thought a piece of Scotchbright might do the job quicker, but I'm not sure if it'll scratch the brass. I'll go look for the polish. Thanks.

 

[HenrikBP]

The green pad I used was indeed ScotchBrite, but the mesh was just coarse nylon. It didn't have any abrasive in it at all. They are often labeled as "non scratching" or something like that.

My thinking would be, if you can loosen/get rid of the gunk by soaking in soap solution, then that would certainly be my choice. I often find that I bugger things up when I get impatient

Henrik